Make Big Plans: Burnham Plan Centennial

At the turn of the 20th century, an extraordinary generation of reformers, business leaders, architects, and city planners reimagined American cities. The visionary Plan of Chicago, published in 1909 by Chicago architects Daniel H. Burnham, Jr., and Edward H. Bennett, stood at the heart of this movement. Like other advocates of the City Beautiful Movement, Burnham and Bennett believed that an attractive urban environment could improve health and social relations and ensure economic prosperity. This digital exhibit examines how The Plan of Chicago, or the “Burnham Plan,” contributed to the development and aspirations of the Chicago’s urban landscape. Creation of Make Big Plans was supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, Deloitte, and Marsh Mercer Kroll.